YinYang
by inugrl21
Summary: Who is the strange girl watching the Inu-group? What is this curse she talks about? And why does she look like Inuyasha?
1. Surprise

A/N- Hey Guys. Took me long enough, but here is my redone YinYang. It's longer and, at least I think, much better than my first draft. Enjoy!

Remember: I may have watched all of the TV episodes, read most of the manga, and own a whole heck of a lot of merchandise, but Inuyasha remains not mine.

Reminder: E-mail or review me with any questions, comments, etc.

Yin and Yang

**Chapter One: Surprise**

The early afternoon light filtered through the dense leaves of the forest, creating a golden sanctuary out of the petite meadow. Birdsong and the movements of forest animals provided a serene lullaby designed to lull even the most ornery of beasts into contentment. Fortunately, the visitor to these woods was neither ornery nor a beast. In fact, she was quite lovely and non-beastly. Well, most of the time at any rate.

Now since the reason for her presence had yet to show themselves, this visitor had no other option but to enjoy the lazy quiet of the afternoon from her perch in the meadow's surrounding trees. 'I wonder-' yawn 'when he'll show…' All train of thought was dropped as the visitor sank into the peace and near quiet of her environment. Not a moment had passed before-

"Osuwari!"

WHAM!

The visitor was jerked awake when the abrupt sound of flesh hitting dirt rang through the quiet forest. 'What the-?' She glanced around fleetingly from her hastily regained seat (she had nearly fallen out of the tree) just in time to see an angry young woman stomp out of the woods off to her right hand side. The young woman- 'No, miko,' the visitor corrected herself- was wearing an obscenely short green and white kimono and seemed incredibly angry about something. A closer inspection revealed the miko to be carrying scrapes of yellow fabric tightly clenched in both fists. Suddenly a blur of red came racing from the same place where the miko had just emerged.

"OY, ONNA!"

The miko stopped dead center in the meadow, in response to the call for attention. The red (and white, the visitor could now see as it slowed down) blur was almost upon the miko, when the girl shouted, "OSUWARI!"

The following crash was even louder than the previous one and the visitor watched as birds and small animals fled for their lives. Cringing sympathetically at the smoking crater created by the subduing spell, the visitor acknowledged that her quarry had finally arrived. She watched as a silver-haired, red-clad boy struggled to rise from the depths of the earth that the young miko had sent him. 'Remind me to never get on her bad side.' The visitor stood from the crouching position she'd adopted after her near tumble and stretched her slightly cramped muscles. Once the tension in her back had lessened satisfactorily, she returned her attention towards the forth-coming battle between (if she had learned anything about these two) the most stubborn teenagers of all time.

"Damn it, Kagome! How many times are you going to flatten me today?" By now the inu-hanyou, so confirmed by the twitching dog ears atop his head, had dragged himself upright and the two teens were facing off, each trying to burn holes into each other by mental power alone.

The miko, Kagome, crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant manner, physically daring the hanyou to argue with her. "That depends, Inuyasha. What possessed you to claw my bag to a million pieces?"

Inuyasha turned his head away, thus losing the staring contest. "Feh. I was just looking for something to eat."

Kagome sighed, "Well, you could've asked if you were hungry. I would've made you some ramen so you didn't have to shred my backpack." She looked forlornly down at the scrapes of yellow in her hands. "Now I have to go home to get a new bag." She began to turn, as if to leave, only stopping because the hanyou had grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her back around to face him.

"Oh no," he stated, with a slightly patronizing chuckle. "I'm not letting you go back that easily, Kagome." He dropped his arms. "Who knows when you'll return?"

The miko's gaze visibly darkened, "Inuyasha, let me go home." The warning tone in the miko's voice caused the visitor to flinch and any creatures brave enough to have stayed after the earlier body-to-earth crash landing to scamper for cover. The hanyou, however, merely folded his arms and took a step back. The visitor blinked in amazement.

'How can he still be standing after all this? Either he's dumb as a rock or he's used to these threats.' She examined the scene unfolding before her. 'Or maybe it's a little of both.'

The power struggle between Inuyasha and Kagome continued as neither would give ground to the other. Insults, threats, and posturing flew between the two combatants until it became almost painfully obvious that they'd had this argument before. Not that that stopped it from having entertainment value. After a few more moments of pointless abuse the visitor sighed resignedly, 'Guess I should go confront them before she leaves. Wouldn't want to deliver bad news to him without that subduing spell around. I'm not in a mood to fight.'She rolled her shoulders one last time and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. 'Here goes everything.'

She jumped lightly to the ground and began to cross the open meadow apprehensively and silently. Though she really needn't have bothered with being silent. The two teenagers wouldn't have noticed a full out war happening on top of them, much less a complete stranger sneaking up behind them. Only a quiet 'ahem' right next to one of their ears brought their attention back to the world at large.

Needless to say, both Kagome and Inuyasha were shocked to find that someone had been watching their argument, never mind the fact that neither one had even sensed this new entity until it was right on top of them.

Standing before them was a beautiful young woman. Midnight black hair flowed to her waist and warm woodsy brown eyes sparkled with amusement at their facial expressions. The soft smile gracing her lips, as if she was inwardly pleased for having sneaked up on the two, complimented the pert nose and sculpted face. She seemed petite, but that may have been the bulky style of clothing she wore, royal blue haori and hakama in the same style as Inuyasha's fire-rat robes. And this was not the only similarity to the hanyou. For nestled in her black mane, barely discernable from the rest of the mass, were two adorable, fluffy little doggy ears.

Now normally, finding a hanyou, even another inu-hanyou, would not be such a terrible shock. However, this young hanyou girl, for she could be no older than Kagome, would cause each and every one of Inuyasha's small pack to look, stop, look again, and stare. In other words, she was what Inuyasha would have looked like if he were a couple of inches shorter, black-haired, brown-eyed, and female.

"Hello," the girl said (she prayed they wouldn't notice the faint shaking of her hands or the nervous tremble in her voice). "I hope I'm not bothering you. You both seemed really intent on your…conversation."

Kagome, always the first to recover her senses, shook her head to clear it of her astonishment and smiled at this new… development. "N-no, you're not interrupting. At least not anything important." Glancing over at her companion, she saw that he was still in minor shock. She continued her introductions without the aid of the comatose hanyou, "My name's Kagome and this dog-boy here is Inuyasha."

'Dog-boy' heard this and glared at the miko out of the corner of his eye.

The girl giggled (a little bit from relief) at Kagome's joke. "I am Izayoi," Inuyasha's ears flicked. "But most everyone calls me Iza. But you don't need to tell me who you are. I already know."

Kagome's smile faltered only a bit, before re-affixing itself on her lips. "Oh? And how do you know of us?"

"Well," Iza clasped her hands behind her and rocked back on her heels. "I've been kinda keeping track of you and your pack's travels." Kagome's eyes widened marginally. "I have discovered quite a bit about all of you actually. In fact-"

Inuyasha, having finally regained use of all motor and higher brain functions, decided that this statement was little too much like a threat and took the conversation into his own hands. Naturally this meant pulling out his big sword and attempting to bisect his intended opponent in two. Growling audibly, he stepped in front of a stunned Kagome and pointed the transformed Tetsusaiga at this newly perceived danger.

"Alright, who are you and what the hell do you want?" he spat out. "Did Naraku send you to spy on us?"

Instead of the usual reactions of either cowering in fear or pulling out an equally big bad weapon, Iza just met Inuyasha's death glare and sighed heavily, "Mou, Inuyasha. Don't be so suspicious." She cradled her forehead in one hand as if exasperated, all the while cursing her stupidity. "Naraku is not behind my appearance nor is he the source of my information." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back. "To tell you the truth, I have known about you, Inuyasha, years before Naraku was even born."

If she thought this little clarification would calm down the incensed hanyou, she was sadly mistaken. Inuyasha responded by shifting his grip on the sword so that he was now ready to strike out at his opponent. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he growled. "Are you some kind of stalker or something? Cause believe me, I don't need anymore of those."

Iza shook her head and raised her hands in a placating gesture. 'I should have guessed he wouldn't be that easy to convince.' Out loud, she said, "Trust me, I am not a stalker of any kind, Inuyasha."

The hanyou blinked in bemusement, which caused the sword's tip to fall slightly, "And why should I trust someone I don't even know?"

"Because the reason I've known about you for so long," Iza explained, "is that my mother" she pointed to herself "and your mother" she pointed to him "are one and the same. As are our fathers."

Lowering Tetsusaiga until its tip touched the ground, Inuyasha tried to assimilate this statement. After blinking several times in a thoughtful manner, he managed to connect a few of those loose brain cells rattling around behind his natural instincts and offered up a very eloquent, "Huh?"

"Inuyasha, it's quite simple." Iza took a deep breath, 'Here it comes.' "I am your sister."

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	2. Understanding

A/N: Another modified chapter. Enjoy!

Reminder: For those who can't remember, your punishment is to copy the line "Inuyasha does not belong to this author." 100 times.

Remember: E-mail or review me with questions, comments, etc.

**Chapter Two: Understanding**

Kagome had, by this time, seen, heard and done some pretty amazing things. She even had a list of some of the more interesting events. First and foremost was the fact that she could time travel about 500 years into the past through an old well on her family's shrine property. Her second item was when she had accidentally released a sleeping, and only slightly dangerous, inu-hanyou from a fifty-year-old spell. However there was a tie for third. It was a toss-up between the fact that the Shikon no Tama, something she had barely even heard of before, had been _inside_ her body or the fact that she was the reincarnation of the miko Kikyo, Inuyasha's dead ex-girlfriend who was now, oh so conveniently, hanging around as a self-moving ceramic Tupperware for dead souls. These two events only proved to her that at least a couple religions in her time had some things right and also that Fate is, indeed, a bitch.

Now here she was: standing next to this rude dog-boy, with whom she had fallen in love with (curse it all), finding out that he had a potential family member who _wasn't _trying to kill him on an almost daily basis. 'Well, this definitely goes in my Top Ten Weird Stuff list,' she thought. 'If I'm shocked, I can only guess how Inuyasha is taking this.' Seeing as he hadn't moved from his protective stance in front of her, Kagome sidled up alongside him so she could study his face and his reaction.

Inuyasha was obviously flabbergasted, his amber eyes wide in shock and his jaw slack. Kagome giggled silently at his resemblance to a koi fish. 'Of course, anyone would be surprised by this kind of information, and Inuyasha even more so.' She sighed, 'He's had no one to really call family for ages. I suppose Miroku, Sango, Shippou and I are close, but it's not quite the same thing.'

Kagome had to break her train of thought when Inuyasha quietly coughed and shook off his daze. He re-sheathed his sword, sank into his signature thinking crouch, and shut his eyes. This left Kagome and Iza to stare at him and only guess at the emotions that must be running rampant through the hanyou's mind. Both girls were still, watching and waiting for his reaction, as the tension in the air grew steadily thicker. A glance at Iza revealed her to be wearing a look of almost eager expectancy tempered with concern and not a little bit of fear. She appeared ready to snap from all of the stress and anxiety that Inuyasha's introverted reflection seemed to be pressing upon the girl. Silence reined for a moment longer until Kagome hesitantly called to the hanyou.

"I-Inuyasha?"

He drew a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes to examine Iza intensely. Kagome could see his thoughts running circles around and around each other as he tried to pinpoint his feelings for this revelation. She could practically read each thought as it crossed his face.

'Why the hell didn't I know about her? Why didn't Mother tell me I had a sister? How the hell was this kept from me?' She watched as he scented the air trying to find where the trap lay. When he didn't leap to his feet and charge off after some unseen enemy, Kagome figured there was none nearby waiting for Iza to return. Uncertainty warred with hope until indecision won out. 'He needs more space to think,' Kagome concluded.

Since she'd already known that he was going to move, Kagome didn't startle at his sudden standing up. Iza, unfortunately, wasn't expecting the movement and therefore jumped a foot in the air. Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and she smiled warmly at him. He didn't smile back, just nodded, but she understood that he was grateful for her comprehension. He stated out loud, more for Iza's benefit than Kagome's, "I'll be back later. You should be safe until then." After a short nod from her, he bounded off into the trees and was quickly lost to sight.

Both girls watched as the hanyou ran off, but only Kagome seemed optimistic about it. The miko watched as Iza slumped to her knees on the forest floor and just stared at the spot where Inuyasha had disappeared. A heartbeat of silence, then-

"He ran away." Kagome faced the dazed girl, a look of curiosity in her eyes. Iza gazed up at her, "He wasn't supposed to do that." Than she laughed scathingly at herself, as she changed her position on the ground, "I can't believe I actually thought that he would just automatically accept and welcome a sister who he's never seen and probably never even heard of. I am a bigger fool than I thought."

Kagome contemplated the young girl hugging her knees up to her chest. In a split second, she'd slipped down next to Iza and put an arm around her shoulder, offering comfort. Iza started at the touch, but was soon relaxing into the embrace. Minutes passed as Iza struggled to regain control of her emotions. When she finally spoke, it was with a much calmer voice.

"I didn't think he'd do that."

Kagome looked at the girl, confused. "You mean run off like that?"

Iza nodded, "Hai. I thought he'd at least stay and ask me some questions or something." She sniffled quietly, "I didn't really believe that he'd just accept me as his sister, but I thought that he would at least be happy to have someone to call family." Iza shook her head slightly and rested her head on her knees.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. 'Poor thing. She's so worried and she really has no need to be. Inuyasha will be back soon to claim her as his sister.' She paused mid-thought. 'Now why am I so certain that she is who she claims to be?' She studied her companion. Iza still had her forehead on her knees, but her face was turned towards Kagome, eyes unfocused. Dark brown eyes, nearly black, the same shade of brown as Inuyasha's on his human nights. 'Strange. She looks just like Inuyasha on those nights. Except for the ears and being female.' Kagome gently rubbed Iza's back and the girl's eyelids slid shut.

The miko frowned slightly as she massaged away the tension in Iza's back. 'I'm almost positive that his mother didn't say anything to him about Iza-san, because he would've mentioned it or Sesshoumaru would have said something in his tauntings.' Kagome glanced down at the dozing girl, 'Speaking of Sesshoumaru, I wonder if he knew about her or vice versa.' Kagome cleared her throat and shook Iza's shoulder to wake her, dropping her arm when the girl opened her eyes, "Ano… Iza-sama?"

Iza lifted her head and winced partially. Still huddled about her legs, Iza said, "Please don't be so formal. It makes me uncomfortable. I really prefer to be as casual as possible, if you don't mind?" She ventured a glimpse up into Kagome's now beaming face.

"Of course not, Iza-chan. I prefer it myself, too" She than frowned. "But I do have a question for you."

Iza released a small sigh of relief, "Thank you, Kagome-chan. It helps." She sat up straighter and folded her legs beneath her. "Now, please, what is your question? I shall answer as best I can."

Kagome chewed on her lower lip as she pondered how to phrase her question. 'Oh well, straight forward usually works best.'

"Iza-chan, do you know who Sesshoumaru is and his relationship to Inuyasha?"

Iza pulled a face that reminded Kagome of Sesshoumaru's vassal, Jaken, and caused both girls to giggle. Having lightened the mood, Iza answered, "Yes, I know of my elder half-brother. I am also aware of his ridiculous hatred for Inuyasha." She scowled and shook her head. "Honestly, how can you hate someone who had no control over who or what their parents were?"

Kagome grinned at Iza's question, "I'm glad one of you siblings gets this concept. Maybe you can beat some sense into the other two." Iza laughed. "But does he know about you? I mean if you were kept a secret from Inuyasha-"

"I was not kept a secret!" Iza proclaimed indignantly, both hands going to her hips to complete the image. "My father had a very good reason for separating Inuyasha and me at birth."

Kagome frowned, "At birth? You make it sound like you two are-"

"Twins?" Iza offered.

Kagome nodded, her gaze intensifying.

"Yeah, we are. He was born first, but only by a couple of minutes. Father took me away almost immediately." Iza was intently studying her hands.

"But why?"

Iza grimaced and glanced up at Kagome apologetically. "I'd really rather tell Inuyasha first, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Kagome shrugged, than examined the surrounding forest, "but, about Sesshoumaru, would he have known about you?"

"No," Iza said, with a firm shake of her head. "Sesshoumaru knows nothing of me or what happened before or after-" She broke off suddenly, eyes wide in realization.

Kagome cocked her head to the side questioningly, but Iza shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't, won't say anything more."

"It's alright, Iza-chan, I understand," Kagome reassured the young hanyou. "But while we're waiting for Inuyasha to get back from his pouting session," She waved her hand in the general direction of the forest, "I have some people I want you to meet. I have a feeling that you'll be traveling with us for a while." She stood up at this, dusted herself off, than turned and held out her hand to help Iza up. Iza just stared up at her with a bemused expression on her face.

"What do you mean 'while we wait'? You make it sound like he's coming back soon. And why would I travel with you? He clearly doesn't want me around." She lowered her head in shame.

Kagome blinked down at the distraught girl for a couple of seconds, before suddenly bursting out laughing. Iza cringed as her ears flattened themselves against her head at the high-pitched quality of the sound. "Okay. Now I'm even more confused," she muttered under her breath. She then ventured to gain the hysterical miko's attention. "Uh…Kagome-chan? What's so funny?"

It took some effort, but Kagome finally managed to get her laughter under control for the most part. Little bursts of giggles kept slipping out though and made it harder for her not to remember why she had been laughing so hard in the first place. Wiping tears from her eyes and still catching her breath, Kagome turned to comfort the poor confused hanyou girl.

"I'm so sorry, Iza-chan. I just forget sometimes that a lot of people don't know Inuyasha like I do." She flopped back down to the ground. "I've been traveling with him for almost a good year and I'm one of the few people he actually trusts." When Iza showed a wounded expression at this slight boast, Kagome hurried on to her point. "What I mean to say is that Inuyasha only ran off to collect his thoughts. Really, he did," she insisted at Iza's disbelieving face. "He does this best when alone in the forest. I think the scents and sounds of too many people around just distract him from whatever he's thinking about. But trust me," she placed a hand on her companion's arm, "once he's finished brooding, he'll be back to ask all those questions you wanted from him earlier." Iza smiled a little at this, so Kagome lay back onto the grass, hands behind her head, to resume her analysis of her hanyou's thought processes.

"And as for the traveling bit, if past experiences are anything to go by, he'll generally make rude comments towards you and ask why you don't just leave, but believe me, he doesn't mean it. You may have to disappear for a bit, but he will always come after you. So, it always works out in the end, mostly because you realize that if he really hated traveling with you, he'd either ignore you or kill you, and also, because you know that he is, in his own way, sincerely apologetic for his behavior." A pause, then she continued seriously, "Plus there's just…something about him that makes you want to be by his side, no matter what happens." Kagome ended her musings by smiling tenderly up into the sky.

"Oh," was all Iza could say after that heartfelt conclusion. Kagome had just explained Inuyasha's actions with such compassion and understanding that anyone with a heart couldn't help but admire her. One could also comprehend why Kagome had stayed by the surly inu-hanyou for this long and taken all the abuse (not that she didn't give back as well as she got) that he unwittingly dished out for her.

Iza sighed and spoke plainly, "You must love him very much."

Kagome shut her eyes against the glare of the sun and turned her face back towards Iza. Opening her eyes halfway, she said just as plainly, "Yes. I do."

"And either he knows it and doesn't return your feelings or he's the densest man in the world."

Kagome chuckled, "Yeah, it's one or the other. Personally I prefer the 'densest man' theory," Iza laughed with the miko. Kagome fetched another sigh, "But I can't help but worry if it's the first one." She sat up. "However it is slightly more complicated than all that, but remind me to tell you the whole story later. For now," she stood and pulled Iza up with her, "it is time for you to meet The Group."

Kagome said this last part so ominously that Iza looked a little worried. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time or breath to object, as Kagome had grabbed her hand and was now dragging poor Iza along at high speed behind her.

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	3. Accecptance

A/N: And the third part of my re-vamped story. Enjoy!

Reminder: Little green men from Jupiter came down and gave me Inuyasha as a reward for good behavior.

Remember: Review or e-mail me with comments or questions.

**Chapter Three: Acceptance**

"KAGOME!"

The two girls had just passed the edge of the village when a small ball of russet fuzz barreled into Kagome's chest, earning a grunt from the poor girl as she crashed back into Iza.

"Unh. Hello Shippou-chan. Have you been good while I've been gone?"

"Of course," the little kitsune puffed himself up. "I've been protecting Sango from Miroku's 'Wandering Hands'."

Kagome just grinned at the kit, "In other words, you've been watching him get beaten up, right?"

"Right!" he chirped without any hint of remorse. Then Shippou noticed Iza. Hopping down from Kagome's arms, he peered up seriously at the new hanyou. After a moment's contemplation, he asked, "Who are you?"

Iza blinked. "I am Izayoi. Or Iza, if you prefer."

Shippou crinkled up his nose. "You smell familiar, Iza." He turned his head to regard her suspiciously. "In fact, you smell like Inuyasha."

Her eyes flew wide. "Smell like-" Iza turned to Kagome. The miko noted the girl's uneasy expression. Deciding to defuse the situation, Kagome knelt down next to the kit, who was still scenting the air and examining the flustered hanyou.

"Hey, Shippou-chan?"

Not taking his eyes off Iza, Shippou replied, "Yeah?"

"Would you do me a favor and go to Kaede-bachan's place?"

The kit gave Kagome his full attention now, a sly gleam in his blue-green eyes. "Sure. But Miroku and Sango are there. I'm guessing you don't want me to say anything to them about Iza, huh?"

Kagome sighed in resignation. The sneaky little brat was trying for more lollipops. She wasn't surprised really, considering one of Shippou's main influences was Miroku. "How many?"

Shippou held up both hands, fingers splayed. "Ten."

The miko scoffed. "I don't think so. They'll meet her soon enough. One."

"Nine."

"Two."

"Eight."

"Three, final offer."

"Seven."

"Going once."

"But Kagome, -"

"Going twice."

"Oh all right! Three."

Kagome beamed at the sulking kit, pulling three suckers from her pocket. "I don't know why you're upset. You still get the candy and can hold the information over Miroku-sama's head."

Shippou brightened at this. "Yeah, I'll know something he doesn't. Can I taunt him about it?" He looked up hopefully at Kagome, who laughed and nodded. With a loud whoop, Shippou was off and running towards Kaede's hut to torment the monk. The miko straightened up, wiping off her hands.

"Um-" Kagome turned to the bemused Iza.

"Sorry about that." She crossed to Iza, linked their arms together, and started following Shippou. "Now, would you care to explain why you hesitated back there?"

Iza sagged. "I'm sorry. I'm just really paranoid about meeting all these new people." At Kagome's questioning expression, she sighed. "I'll explain later, but not until I talk to Inuyasha."

It was Kagome's turn to sigh. This was becoming frustrating. The miko's immense curiosity was beginning to fester with the building intrigue and lack of explanations. 'I just hope Inuyasha finishes his thinking soon. I'm about to explode here.' Her slight exasperation began to cloud her mind, so that when they reached the old miko's house, Kagome jumped two feet in the air when her name was called.

"Kagome-sama. You have returned." A handsome young man in black and purple robes had emerged through the doorway and was approaching the two girls.

"O-oh, Miroku-sama," Kagome stammered, suddenly aware of her arm linked with a complete stranger (to Miroku at any rate). "This is Iza-chan. She is Inuyasha's--" A quick nudge from Iza halted any further slip-ups and Kagome clapped a hand to her mouth.

"She is Inuyasha's what, Kagome-chan?" Sango appeared behind the monk, dressed in her everyday kimono, black hair pulled back and low. Shippou was riding on her shoulder, suppressing his laughter as best he could around a mouth full of candy.

Kagome hesitated, but a fleeting look showed Iza shaking her head 'no'. Removing her hand and pulling away from the other girl, Kagome tried to improvise. "Sango-chan. What I mean is, she …er …was …in …Inuyasha's Forest. Yeah, that'll work. And Inuyasha wanted me to bring her to Kaede-bachan while he went on patrol."

Sango and Miroku shared a look with each other. Kagome was a bad liar. She was obviously hiding something, but what, remained to be seen. Ah, well, they could always pry it out of her later. Kagome continued rattling on without having seen the knowing look that passed between her friends, "So what's going on here? Anything new or exciting?"

Sango sighed and humored the teen. "Well… "

During this whole little scene, no one noticed the little firecat, Kirara, stroll up to Iza and demand attention. Iza raised an eyebrow at the cat, glanced at the others, who were now discussing the goings-on in the village, then back at the cat. Shrugging her shoulders, Iza bent down and extended her hand for the cat to smell. After sniffing gingerly for a couple of seconds, the cat presented her head to be scratched. Iza obliged by lightly scraping her claws on the cat's scalp. Not content with only that, Kirara took matters into her own paws and scampered up Iza's haori with no trouble. "Well, hello to you, too" Iza remarked as Kirara butted her head against a firm jawbone. "Aren't you just a friendly little thing?"

"Hey! Look at Kirara!"

Shippou's piping voice turned the three adults attention towards Iza. Iza searched around behind herself, and upon finding no one there, decided that Shippou must've meant the firecat, who was now placidly purring in her ear.

"You mean her? She climbed up here all on her own."

Sango exchanged glances with Kagome and Miroku, before turning back to Iza. She smiled a genuine smile, strode toward the girl, and embraced her. Pulling back to face the, once again, very confused girl, Sango merely stated, "Welcome to the group." She backed up a step and held out her arms, at which Kirara stood, licked Iza's cheek once, and leapt to her mistress's shoulder, causing Shippou to tumble to the ground. Then Sango simply turned and walked back into the hut without another word.

"Hmm. It seems like you are the newest member to our troupe," Miroku grinned. "Don't get into too much trouble now, Iza-sama." He then followed the demon slayer through the doorway and out of sight, the fox kit scampering after him.

Shocked to a standstill, Iza could only stare at the door with her mouth hanging open. Kagome sidled up to her and very gently closed her jaws. Iza was brought back to her senses with that little movement and turned confused eyes to Kagome. "Um …what just happened?"

Kagome giggled, "Well, it's simple really. Kirara is a firecat youkai. She has always been able to sense who intends us harm or whom we can trust. If she just walked up to you without a hiss or anything, climbed to your shoulder, and began to purr, we can all safely bet that you can be trusted. As for the others, Sango-chan trusts Kirara's instincts, Miroku-sama trusts Sango-chan's trust in Kirara, and Shippou-chan is just glad to have someone else to play pranks on and to pamper him. See, simple."

"It's really that easy?" Disbelief was rampant in Iza's question.

Kagome just nodded. "Yup. It really is that easy."

Iza looked back at the door that led to the interior of the hut. She huffed a "Huh," and walked inside, with a laughing Kagome trailing after her.

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	4. Reflections

A/N: The fourth chapter (angels sing in background). I like this rewrite the best out of all of them. Enjoy!

Reminder: Inuyasha + silver platter daydream.

Remember: E-mails and reviews most welcome.

**Chapter Four: Reflections**

Whenever one is lost, the most common advice is to stay where you are and help will come to you. However, that concept never sat well with Inuyasha. His chaotic childhood had taught him that if you stayed still long enough, bad things could happen. So anytime he felt lost, confused, or threatened about something, Inuyasha ran. A quick sprint through the wilderness always helped him find his way through the muddled mess his thoughts sometimes resembled. There was just something about the way the wind rushed past his ears that helped bring everything into a streamline focus for him. Not to mention that running was a highly effective defense mechanism, but everyone already knew that.

Darting around, through, and over the trees that made up his forest, Inuyasha began to make some sense of his jumbled brain. The surfacing memories of his mother and how his life had crashed downhill after her death managed to bring bitter tears to the corners of his eyes, but fortunately he could blame that on the stinging wind that was slapping his face. The more difficult and pressing questions of why Ofukuro would hide something as significant as another sibling, especially a full sister, shoved the memories aside and raged to the fore of his mind. 'Damn it, Ofukuro. Why couldn't you have told me? Didn't I deserve to know?' Since his anger was hot enough to disrupt his run, he decided to pick a fight with the next tree that dared to cross his path in order to relieve some of the tension.

"Sankon-Tessou!" he roared, his steel hard claws rending the defenseless tree into firewood. He turned to the next. And the next.

Finally, after having knocked down enough trees to keep Kaede's whole village, and maybe the two neighboring ones, warm for the next three winters, Inuyasha collapsed to his knees. "Why?" He slammed his fist into the soft earth. "Why?" He repeated the gesture. "WHY!" Both hands this time. "Why did you have to DIE!" Flopping back to lean against one of the few remaining trees, Inuyasha studied his now bloodied knuckles, as fragments of wood and foliage floated haphazardly through the air.

'Guess it's a little late to ask Ofukuro that now, huh?' He chuckled bitterly to himself as he started to lick his wounds. It had been a long time since he had lost control over something that had happened so long ago. 'Can't change the past,' he thought sullenly.

He placed his arms across his raised knees and watched the torn skin knit its self back together. Inuyasha couldn't help but make the comparison between physical healing and emotional scarring. 'If I sliced the skin after it's healed, blood will still rise to the surface.' He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of such morbid thoughts. 'I haven't thought like this in ages. What's wrong with me?'

This brought his mind to the reason, or rather the person, who had erased those gruesome thoughts to begin with.

Kagome.

Inuyasha had yet to pinpoint exactly how he felt about that girl. She was infuriating and, yet, at the same time, she soothed his soul. He didn't trust anybody like he trusted Kagome. She was his best friend and his worst enemy (in a _good_ way). There was no one who could make him smile like she could. And nobody made him feel as terrified as she did. His worst fear was that Kagome would be gone one day, in spite of all of her reassurances that she would stay by his side. It didn't matter how she might leave, by choice or by death, it still distressed him no end. Therefore, it was always a relief that Kagome was still sleeping in that strange traveling futon of hers or popping out of the bone-eater's well into his era. This was why he tried to prevent her from going home. Sure, at first it had been about the Jewel, but now it was about Kagome. Even her 'Osuwari' commands were more of a blessing than a curse. It meant that Inuyasha had one more reason to be connected to the futuristic miko.

But the biggest problem in dealing with his feelings for Kagome was Kikyo. In the very beginning there had been enough of a resemblance to confuse a newly awoken hanyou, but after catching Kagome's scent once, there was no mistaking the differences between the two women. Not only were their scents completely different, but so were their personalities. Kikyo had always managed to remain calm and aloof in almost any situation or danger. She had worn a mask to hide the true woman under the priestess. Kagome showed a passion that Inuyasha had never witnessed in any woman before. She could become excited about the slightest detail then turn around to stare down his bastard of a half-brother, Sesshoumaru. Kikyo and Kagome were as different as night and day. Or maybe a better comparison would be two sides of the same coin. Their personalities were just facets of the same soul after all. Kikyo could've been like Kagome, if not for the burden of the Jewel.

He had to shake his head again, silver hair flying. 'Gah, why am I thinking like this?' He pushed himself into a crouch and surveyed his surroundings. He was surprised to see the Goshinboku not twenty feet away. 'I didn't think I'd gone this way.' Inuyasha shrugged to himself and stood up. Stretching a bit relaxed the hanyou and he made his way to the sacred tree.

He approached the tree and placed the palm of his hand on the worn away spot where he had been pinned by Kikyo's arrow. He was still amazed, and not to mention pissed as all hell, whenever he thought of the events that had led to his fifty-year nap. 'Where did it all go wrong?' was the question of the year.

It would be so easy to blame every little thing that had happened to Kikyo and him on Naraku and Onigumo. After all it was Onigumo's desire for Kikyo that led to Naraku being formed and everything just went to Hell in a hand basket from there. Kikyo's death, Miroku's kazaana, and Sango's slaughtered village all stemmed from Onigumo and Naraku. Shockingly though, Inuyasha found that he couldn't lay _all_ of the blame at Naraku's feet. Not to be mistaken, that bastard had done more then his fair share of damage and he had used several non-related events to his own advantage, but not everything was his fault.

'Yeah. That bastard didn't raise me to be so mistrusting of people or make Kikyo the guardian of that damned Jewel.' Inuyasha sighed as he plopped himself down at the foot of the enormous tree to ponder his dilemmas.

So, who was to blame for all of the crap that Inuyasha and his friends went through almost every single day? 'Maybe it goes farther then just Kikyo and me. If the Shikon jewel hadn't been created or if those stupid demons had just left Midoriko alone or if she hadn't pushed her soul out of her body, none of this would've happened. Then again, Midoriko and the demons can't be blamed either. They just did what they had to do to survive. Damn! I seem to be thinking in circles.'

Than he was hit by a revelation.

'If none of that crap had happened, Kagome would never have come to this time.'

If Kagome hadn't traveled through time, than Inuyasha would never have been released. This also meant that Kikyo wouldn't have been brought back to life by a Jewel greedy witch. And thus no romantic angst.

Inuyasha smacked his head against the tree trunk. "Kikyo is dead, no matter how much it hurts to admit it. Her resurrection was a mistake." Saying it out loud gave the statement a more solid feel than if he'd just thought it. He stared up into the branches above him. The swaying boughs were hypnotizing and lulling him back into his prior musings on what-ifs and wouldn'ts.

'Although without her, Naraku's deception wouldn't have been discovered. Chock up another point for Fate.'

"Damn it!" Growling, he pounded his fist into his own leg. "To think, all the crap everyone's had to put up with can be considered necessary in the grand scheme of things. What a bitch."

Now Fate had thrown something completely out of the blue at him. 'A sister. How the hell do I have a sister?' He tried to recall all the conversations that he'd ever had with his mother. 'You'd think that Ofukuro would have mentioned it, if I'd had any other siblings. I mean, she told me about Sesshoumaru or at least, as much as she knew of him. I never got the feeling that he was around much back then.'

He snorted softly. "Of course he wasn't around. Stupid, full-demon son of a …" His mutterings petered out as his mind turned to the image of his supposed sister. 'She sorta looks like Ofukuro. Wait a minute…' Than he realized why the name had sounded so familiar. Izayoi was the name of his-, their-, whoever's, mother.

'That doesn't prove anything though. It could be coincidence.' He stopped himself, than chuckled at his own in-joke. 'Thanks a lot, Fate. But there are still too many questions. I guess I'll just have to go ask.'

Determined to get to the truth behind this new twist of Fate's, Inuyasha got to his feet and rushed off in search of his answers.

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	5. Questions

A/N: Not much change, but enough to get an update. Enjoy!

Remember: Inuyasha has too busy of a schedule to belong to me alone. Therefore I must share him.

Reminder: Questions and comments are always welcome by review or e-mail.

**Chapter Five: Questions**

Iza stared in dumbfounded amazement at the unconscious monk lying next to the fire. Not two seconds ago had Miroku kneeled beside her to ask if she would bear his children. No sooner had the question left his lips had Sango's boomerang connected soundly to his head, resulting in the monk's now prone position.

"Sorry, Iza-chan. Houshi-sama always feels compelled to ask that to any pretty young women he may find." Sango was flushed a light pink from her exercise in hentai restraint. "However one good hit usually takes care of the problem for the rest of the day."

Iza couldn't help but smile. She had already noticed the subtle relationship between the slayer and monk. And Iza never was one to turn down a good opportunity to tease someone. "So I guess it doesn't have anything to do with you being jealous, does it, Sango-chan?" This time, Sango turned light pink from embarrassment. "O-of course n-not!" she managed to stammer in reply.

Kagome giggled from her side of the fire. With Shippou perched in her lap, the young miko was enjoying the interaction between Iza and Sango. 'Iza-chan's fitting in rather well. I hope Inuyasha finishes his meditating soon, so we can find out more about her.'

As if her mere thoughts had conjured up the hanyou, Inuyasha pushed open the reed door and stepped into the hut. Iza froze when she met his guarded gaze. After a moment, Inuyasha snorted and broke eye contact. He redirected his attention to Kagome and Sango, with barely a glimpse at the still unconscious Miroku.

"So, have you all been playing nice while I've been gone?" Inuyasha's question was aimed at Kagome rather than everyone else like it seemed.

Kagome smiled sweetly at the hanyou and he immediately relaxed. "I just introduced Iza-chan to everyone and we've been getting along perfectly." Then with a meaningful look at Inuyasha, she added, "Kirara especially. She just walked right up to Iza-chan and began purring as loud as she could."

Inuyasha blinked in a bemused fashion as Kagome's words sank in. 'At least one obstacle was out of the way.' If Kirara sensed that Iza could be trusted, then who was he to gainsay her? But it still didn't answer his questions. "That's nice. But if you don't mind, I would like to speak to our guest for a moment outside."

Iza gulped nervously. Since he had turned away from her, Iza had been getting more and more worried. She didn't even notice that Miroku had regained consciousness, or that he and Sango were now glancing back and forth between Iza and Inuyasha trying to figure out what now seemed so familiar about the new girl's face and why Inuyasha felt the need to speak privately with her.

Meanwhile Inuyasha had crossed to the door and was now holding aside the flap so Iza could go before him. Standing slowly and not without a little trepidation, Iza moved towards the doorway and the beautiful day outside. Not that she really noticed, being so wrapped up in her anxiety as she was. Iza stepped out and waited for Inuyasha, who threw a quick "We'll be back," over his shoulder and let the reed flap drop back into place behind him.

Inuyasha motioned that he wanted Iza to follow him. The poor girl hesitated momentarily before steeling her nerves and trotting after the hanyou boy.

He led her to the edge of the village, picked a nice shady tree, and leapt up into its foliage. He settled on a large branch and folded his arms into his haori, as though waiting for her to join him. Iza stared up at him from the ground; slightly disappointed that Inuyasha had picked one of the better branches. 'Okay. This is a little awkward, but I guess I shouldn't complain.'

"Are you coming up here or not? Maybe you're scared of heights?" Inuyasha jeered.

Giving him her best glare, Iza launched into the tree to alight on a higher branch. She proceeded to stick her tongue out at the offending hanyou, who merely smirked up at her.

Iza took some time to arrange herself comfortably on her chosen perch before returning her attention to the boy below her feet. Inuyasha was simply studying her, examining her as if her actions were any kind of way to ascertain the truth of their shared blood. Iza waited for him to speak first. However he seemed content enough to just…look, and she was starting to get impatient. And it showed. First, her ears began to twitch, followed closely by her eyebrow. She finally closed her eyes in order to regain her composure, but could still sense his eyes boring into her skin. Then her patience snapped and she exploded.

"Do you mind not staring at me like I'm some kind of bug! It's getting annoying!"

Inuyasha only shrugged his shoulders, as if unconcerned about her outburst, but he did turn away. "Sorry. I just don't know if I can believe what you've claimed without some kind of evidence. I mean, you do kinda look like me except for the hair and eyes, but it's not enough to convince me that I have a sister."

Iza sighed, defeated. "I understand. I never really expected you to accept me right away anyway." She fidgeted a bit. "I do have many things to tell you, but first things first. Ask me any questions you have and I will answer them as best I can."

Inuyasha shifted restlessly on his branch for a moment. It gave the impression that he was trying to decide what to ask. He finally seemed to settle on a question.

"If you're my sister, then where have you been? And why did Ofukuro never tell me about you?"

Iza glanced down at the hanyou boy. He looked anxious and maybe a little… hopeful? Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part. Sighing again, Iza went about answering his questions. "Well, on the night we were born, Chichi-ue and Haha-ue both agreed that it would be better if we weren't raised together. So Chichi-ue left with me soon afterwards and took me to a small house he had built in the Western Lands. It wasn't too far from the castle that Sesshoumaru lived in, but was still far enough away that he doesn't know about it. As for Haha-ue, both of them agreed that we should never be told about the other due to some rather unfortunate circumstances. However, shortly before our father's death, he explained to me the reasons behind our separation. And to tell you the truth, I agreed with th…."

"Wait, wait, wait." Inuyasha interrupted. Actually, Iza was surprised he hadn't sooner, but perhaps the look of shock on his face had something to do with the length of her speech. "We were born on the same night?" At her nod, Inuyasha sputtered out, "B-but what does that mean? Are we…" At this point he stopped his question and glanced up at Iza as if in confirmation. She gave him a soft smile at the unspoken remainder of his question.

"Twins?" His nod verified Iza's guess. "Yes, we are. That's the reason we resemble each other so much. I look like you do on the new moon. Only with the ears."

At the mention of his human night, Inuyasha winced and became instantly defensive. "What do you know about the new moon?" he queried tensely.

Iza sighed in exasperation. She had a feeling that she'd be doing a lot of that today. "Because, baka, it's my night too."

"Oh," was all Inuyasha said. Iza couldn't contain herself. She burst out laughing at the 'duh, that was obvious' expression on Inuyasha's face. He proceeded to growl menacingly at her, but Iza only waved away his anger with a few flicks of her wrist.

"Sorry, sorry. That was too funny, though. I wish you could've seen your face. It was classic." She wiped a few tears of laughter away with the back of her hand.

"Well, excuse me," the hanyou huffed at her continued giggling. "Anyway. Back to the matter at hand."

Iza finally managed to catch her breath, "Okay. What else do you want to know?"

It was Inuyasha's turn to sigh. "Right. So we're twins and Oyaji carted you off into the wilderness…" He ignored Iza's indignant "Hey!" and finished his question, "So what is this really good reason for forcing me to grow up by myself, without any family 'cept that bastard, Sesshoumaru, and endure all sorts of torture from youkai and humans for being a hanyou? Hmm? I want to know what this supposedly wonderful excuse is composed of."

No longer laughing, Iza cringed inwardly at the pain and bitterness in Inuyasha's voice. She had known that his life had been difficult after their mother died, but she hadn't known how deeply it had affected him. Now she knew. Iza jumped down to join Inuyasha on his branch and sat a bit of a ways in front of him, her legs dangling over one side. Staring at the ground beneath her feet, she said the only thing she could think of to say.

"I'm sorry."

"Keh."

"No. Really. I know I said that I agreed with their reasons for our separation, but that didn't mean that I liked the idea." Iza glanced up and smiled ruefully at her brother. 'I can call him that now, can't I?' she thought to the side, with a mental twist of her lips, before gazing back down at the ground. "I remember throwing a huge fit after Chichi-ue told me about you. I wanted to meet my twin brother so badly. But he said I couldn't because of the curse."

"Curse? What curse?" Inuyasha twitched his ears and trained them on his sister. 'Wait. Sister?' Inuyasha smiled to himself at his admission. Well, at least he could admit it to himself. He had a twin sister. Someone who actually wanted to be related to him. How could he see it any differently with all the evidence right in front of his nose? He just hoped he wasn't being the biggest fool in the world right now by trusting Iza so quickly. 'I guess that's what I get for hanging around with Kagome so much.' With that thought, Inuyasha returned his attention to the female hanyou next to him.

Iza twitched her own ears, and then flattened them against her head. She managed to peek at Inuyasha from underneath her bangs before rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. "I didn't want to tell you that yet. I would've eventually told you, but I wanted us to get to know each other a little better before springing that on you. But I guess I should explain now and get it out of the way." She was about to take a breath to speak when a hand on her shoulder stopped her from continuing her explanation.

Inuyasha scooted closer to Iza while keeping his hand where it was. Due to the way his sister was sitting, with the right side of her body facing him, he had to duck around to look into Iza's eyes. "Hey," he said to grab her attention. When their gazes met, the confusion in her brown eyes made Inuyasha want to try to set everything right in the world or at least set things down the right path. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure there's plenty of time to hear about this curse." Inuyasha could both see and feel Iza's tension melt away at his reassurance. "Plus, I kinda like the idea of getting used to each other first. So this curse thing can wait, right?"

"Hm. I guess it can." Iza did some quick calculations. 'Yeah, there's still a few more weeks before we really have to start worrying. I could use the break to do a little bit more research.' She glanced at Inuyasha. 'And I'll get to spend more time with my brother, as an added bonus.' Iza smiled brightly at the prospect of being around Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was pleased with himself for having cheered up his sister. 'Kami, it's great to be able to think that.' He noticed that the grin that Iza now bestowed on him was almost as brilliant as Kagome's smile whenever he did something nice for her. It was a look that he hoped never disappeared from either girl's face.

Inuyasha must have spaced out for a second, because the next thing he knew, Iza was rapping the top of his head with her fist. "Hey! Are you in there, nii-chan?"

"Huh? Nii-chan?"

"Yeah, you know, it means brother. There's no way in hell I'm going to call you aniki, though you are technically the elder brother." Iza appeared very reluctant to release this information, and with good reason, too.

As soon as the words "you are" and "the elder brother" passed his ears, Inuyasha started to puff up, not with good-natured pride as one might suspect, but rather with his ego.

"Keh. I knew it would be that way. Of course I'm the older brother. It only makes sense."

Iza rolled her eyes. "Mou, Inuyasha, you're only older by, I don't know, two minutes or something." Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have heard her and since she sensed that their branch was about ready to snap due to all the inflated hanyou male ego resting on it, Iza decided to pop Inuyasha's bubble just a little.

"Alright, Inuyasha. I'll admit it. You are the older of us. But you wanna know what else that means?"

Inuyasha broke out of his preening attitude and glanced back at Iza. "Huh? What else it means?"

"Yeah. You being the elder of us two means…" Here she beckoned him closer to whisper in his ear. "It means that you are no longer the baby. You are now the middle child."

Judging by Inuyasha's shocked and slightly horrified expression, Iza surmised that she didn't need to explain all that went with being a middle child. So with that, Iza slipped to ground and started making her way back to Kaede's hut, leaving a very bemused Inuyasha behind in a tree.

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	6. Travels

A/N: More updated goodness. Enjoy!

Remember: It's hard to find a cute and funny way to say I don't own Dog-Boy at 2 o'clock am.

Reminder: You know the drill by know. E-mails and reviews with comments/questions are always welcome.

**Chapter Six: Travels**

Kagome sighed in vexation. They were at it again, just like they had been since they started traveling together.

"Oi, brat!"

"What do you want, baka?"

"Hey, don't call me a baka, brat."

"Then don't call me a brat, baka!"

"Brat!"

"Baka!"

"Will you two cut it out!" Shippou yelled from the relative safety of Kagome's shoulder. "You've been at it for since we left the village _three_ days ago. At least come up with some better insults or something."

"Shut up runt!"

The sound of the two inu-hanyous yelling at the fox kit caused the rest of the group to burst out into laughter. Inuyasha and Iza glanced at each other, shrugged in unison, and continued walking down the road, bickering all the while.

"You can really tell they're related, can't you, Kagome-sama?" Miroku commented. He continued to smirk even after he had stopped laughing. "And here we thought having one Inuyasha was bad. Now we have two." He paused, one hand on his chin as he observed to the hanyous down the road. "Fortunately though at least one is female and quite lov…"

Sango's hand connecting to the back of the monk's head was enough to stop that train of thought. "You idiot. If you think Inuyasha's protective of Kagome-chan, I'd like to see you try to lay a hand on his sister. Your curse would be cured in a most unpleasant manner I believe."

"But, Sango…"

Kagome could only sigh and shake her head. It seemed like Miroku would never learn.

"That guy just can't take a hint, huh, Kagome?" Shippou commented. The youngster was once again displaying his uncanny ability to practically mind read whomever he was closest to at the moment.

Kagome smiled and patted the kit on the head. "You know, Shippou-chan? Maybe you should give your teasing a rest for a bit. There's only so much Inuyasha can take, even when he's in a good mood."

Shippou wilted a bit. "Yeah, I know." Then he visibly brightened. "Can I tease Iza instead? She's a lot more relaxed."

Kagome paused for a moment, with her forefinger posed thoughtfully on her chin. "I don't see why not. Iza-chan _is_ more likely to tease you back than to hit you."

That was all Shippou needed to hear. Without another word, he leaped from Kagome's shoulder and hit the ground running. Watching him scamper on all fours towards the retreating backs of Inuyasha and Iza, Kagome couldn't help grinning. 'That's gotta the cutest darn thing I've seen in a while.'

"Kagome-chan, where is Shippou-chan going?" Sango asked, trailing a, once again and probably every time he opened his mouth, unconscious monk strewn on Kirara's back behind her.

"Hm? Oh, he's just going to go play with Iza-chan some. Hopefully Inuyasha won't lose his temper."

"Oi, runt!"

'Spoke to soon.' Kagome thought in an exasperated tone, as she broke into a jog in order to save the fox kit from the Wrath of Dog-Boy.

**

* * *

Later that night…**

After a long day of traveling, the Group finally decided to bunk down for the night. Kagome recognized the area since they passed through it almost ever time they left the village. This spot in particular was especially familiar to the young miko. She sighed wistfully as she waited for the hot water kettle to signal it was ready. When it whistled, Kagome broke her train of thought, poured the boiling water into the little Styrofoam package, and looked around for a certain someone, who she spotted quickly enough.

Careful not to spill, Kagome crossed over to where Iza was leaning against a tree. "Here, Iza-chan. Some authentic ninja food." Kagome handed Iza a pair of chopsticks and the steaming cup of instant ramen. "I wasn't sure which flavor you'd like, so I made you Inuyasha's favorite."

"Thank you, Kagome-chan. It certainly smells good." Iza sniffed the broth before daintily scarfing down the noodles. Her gaze flickered up when Kagome giggled. She swallowed the last bite of ramen before questioning the girl. "What is it, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Nothing. It's just that you and Inuyasha are so much alike it's a wonder that Sango-chan and Miroku-sama didn't notice the resemblance sooner."

"Hmm, yeah," Iza managed around the cup as she sipped the rest of the soup.

Four days ago, after their little chat, Inuyasha had entered Kaede's hut and calmly introduced his sister. The monk and slayer's jaws had dropped unceremoniously to the floor, while Shippou just shook his head at the statement. The kit then wondered aloud how anyone could've missed the way that the two smelled and looked so much alike and that he had known all along. That comment had earned him a bonk on the head, not from Inuyasha, but from Miroku, who muttered a 'so that's what you were bugging me about' under his breath.

Sango had quickly recovered her composure by saying that they should have guessed and that Iza was even more welcome to the group. Miroku had eventually given up trying to get information out of the fox to innocently (yeah, right) smile and nod his agreement. Since that moment, Iza and Inuyasha had been almost inseparable, quickly learning as much as they could about one another in such a short time. This of course resulted in the continual squabbling that had been going on for three days.

"So you two are obviously getting along just fine," Kagome continued, having fetched her own bowl of noodles. "We hardly ever see you apart for more then ten minutes on the road."

Iza grinned in a silly manner. "Things are going wonderfully, Kagome-chan. You were right about him. He heckles me all the time, but I still feel like he wants me around."

Kagome grinned back at the hanyou girl. "Told you so. But I'm still glad you're traveling with us."

A companionable silence fell between the two girls as they finished their dinner of Ramen. Iza glanced over at the miko next to her and debated with herself. 'Should I tell her? It would probably be better if I did, plus I did promise that I would. But Inuyasha will probably get mad if I do.' Iza frowned at her brother's reluctance to burden Kagome. 'Ah, forget it. I'm going to tell her. Inuyasha can go jump in a river for all I care. But I should let him know we're leaving first.'

Having come to her decision, Iza looked up to find her brother. There he was, pounding a fist into the monk's head. Turning to her companion, she said, "Kagome-chan, is there somewhere nearby where we can talk? I have something I want to tell you."

Kagome peered up at Iza, a slightly confused expression on her face. "There's a hot spring a short ways from here. Come to think of it, a bath does sound good right now. Sango-chan may like one, too."

Iza nodded, "Right, but I'd prefer to speak to you alone, if it's no trouble." Kagome shook her head. "Ok. I just need to let Inuyasha know where we're going." With that, she stood and trotted up to the hanyou, who was now beating up Shippou.

Kagome tilted her head and frowned, considering the situation. 'To sit or not to sit? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind… okay. I have got to stop reading Shakespeare before coming back here. It just fits too well.' Iza was heading back towards her, a contemplative look on her face and Kagome's bathing stuff in her hand. 'I wonder what she needs to tell me. Hopefully not something bad.' Then it hit her. "Oh, she must have told Inuyasha. Oh goody. That means I get my information.' She had to force herself to keep from bouncing in anticipation as she led Iza to the promised hot spring.

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	7. Onsen

A/N: Not much fixed, but what the heck. Enjoy!

Remember: I do own Inuyasha. Three of them in fact. Human, demon, and hanyou. Along with Kagome and Sesshoumaru. (They really do make very cute little action figures, don't they?)

Reminder: Any questions, comments, etc., please feel free to e-mail or review. Love ya much. Bye.

**Chapter Seven: Onsen**

The two girls walked side-by-side in silence, each carrying a towel and small washcloth from Kagome's bath supplies. The hot spring was only a hundred yards from the group's chosen campsite, and therefore was in easy sprinting distance for certain dog-eared protectors.

The steam rising from the nearby pool of water, especially at night, brought to mind fairytales and folk legends of celestial beings, who would pose as human bathers at times. And, of course, there would always be some kind of peeping tom around, just waiting for the chance to snag the being's mystical robe, possession, or favorite pet monkey that allowed them to transform back.

Fortunately for these two teenagers, there were no such monkeys around and the only peeping tom was Miroku, and both knew that Sango, if not Inuyasha as well, would keep the pervert in line.

"Wow. It's so pretty here, Kagome-chan. How did you find this spot?" Iza was so eager to test the waters, so to speak, that as soon as the bank of the spring came into view, she had already discarded her clothing, wrapped herself in a towel, and was now preparing to step into the almost scalding water.

Deciding to take her time, Kagome carefully set down her 'Bag o'Tricks', as Sango liked to call it, and began setting up the shampoo and soaps she always carted around with her in this time. She had set everything up and was just removing her uniform, before she answered Iza's question. "This is actually one of the first hot springs that Inuyasha and I found when we started our journey. It was before we met Sango-chan, and Miroku-sama.

Shippou-chan wasn't even with us yet." She glanced over at Iza, who had just submerged herself under the surface. She waited for the girl to resurface before throwing the washcloth at her head, hoping it would hit her in the face. Unfortunately, Iza's reflexes were good and she merely caught the cloth.

Flicking her ears to get the water out, Iza grinned at Kagome and beckoned for the miko to join her in the spring, "Come on in, the water's fine." She splashed a small wave at Kagome to demonstrate her point.

"Okay, I'm coming." Only after she had slid into the pool and found a comfy spot against a rock, did Kagome continue her story. "Well, we had just defeated this possessed Noh mask in my time and Inuyasha was still ticked at me because I had 'sat' him at least twenty times in a row just a couple of days before and still hadn't apologized 'properly'." Here she made the quotation marks with her fingers, which prompted some giggling from her companion. "He _had_ been trying to destroy the well, which is my only way home, so naturally I subdued him." Kagome sighed and shrugged her shoulders at the memory. "He did have a right to be mad, I suppose. Actually, I'm kinda surprised he came to save me at all." She shook her head to clear certain thoughts. "Anyway, we were headed down this same road, hoping to come across any rumors or some kind of clue about the shards. I was riding my bike and let me tell you, several long hours on that thing crossing rough countryside is nowhere near comfortable. My legs ache just thinking about it," she shuddered dramatically, while Iza just laughed. "So, we finally stop for the night and I can barely walk, I'm so tired and sore. Then he just sweeps me off my feet, carries me to this hot spring, sets me down, and says 'Don't take forever, wench'. Then he turns and heads back to camp. It was the first really unselfish and kind thing he'd done for me since we'd met. Afterwards, he acted like he hadn't done anything at all, but ever since then we've stopped at almost every hot spring that we've come across." Finished with her story, Kagome dunked herself underwater so she could wash her hair.

When she emerged, Iza was gazing down at her reflection with a variety of emotions in her eyes. First to stand out was that tender, love-struck look that usually appears when confronted with something so sweet and fluffy it could rot dentures. Next to that, Kagome noticed a small glint of envy. 'That seems kinda normal, but I wonder exactly what she's envious of?' The last emotion was almost too confusing for words.

'Now why would Iza-chan feel guilt?' Kagome was puzzled, to say the least, so she decided that, since blunt and direct had worked before, she was going to employ it again.

"Iza-chan?" Iza's head snapped up so fast, Kagome was worried she might have gotten whiplash. "Iza-chan, is something wrong?"

The hanyou girl was quick to wave off her concern, "I'm fine, Kagome-chan. I was just thinking that Inuyasha is very lucky to have you around." She winked at the slightly bemused miko. "I do believe you've softened him up quite nicely." At the incredulous look on Kagome's face, she barked out a short laugh that sounded almost exactly like her brother and entirely too forced.

"Iza-chan." Iza's laughter jerked to a halt at Kagome's tone of voice. It plainly said 'I know you're hiding something, so you had better spill before something explodes'. Yeah, it said all that in just two words, her name. Iza slowly maneuvered her eyes to meet Kagome's somewhat hard stare.

Cringing, she thought sullenly, 'Yup, something will definitely be hurting later.'

Kagome folded her arms over her chest. 'Either she tells me what that look was for or I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be interesting.'

Iza sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging as if under a huge weight. "I guess I can't hide much from you, can I, Kagome-chan?" At the girl's headshake, Iza continued, "Remember how when I first showed up, I mentioned that my father had taken me away?" Nod. "And I told you that I wanted to tell Inuyasha first before anyone else?" Nod. "Well, I spoke with him today and told him everything from start to finish. Afterwards, he asked me not to say anything to you because he wanted to protect you from what could happen." Kagome's wide brown eyes suddenly narrowed at the thought of being left out of something important, especially something important to her hanyou.

Iza chuckled softly when Kagome started muttering about certain dog-boys and the 'sitting of his life'. This girl certainly didn't want to be protected by being kept ignorant, that was for sure. Iza's respect for the young miko grew, even though there was almost nowhere to store it anymore. "Kagome-chan." When the girl finally looked up, Iza flashed her a dazzling smile, fangs and all. "Don't worry. I completely agree with you. Inuyasha actually tried to forbid me from saying anything to you, but look how well that turned out."

Kagome couldn't help laughing. The image of Dog-Boy pleading with a stubborn Iza to 'please don't tell Kagome' floated across her mind and did absolutely nothing to quell her giggle fit. "Ah, Iza-chan. What are we going to do with that numbskull brother of yours?"

This remark brought an unpredicted response from the hanyou girl. Iza's face darkened as she thought of what lay ahead for Inuyasha. 'She's definitely not going to like this.'

"Iza-chan?"

Iza shook her stupor away. "Sorry. I need to finish telling you this before Inuyasha decides to come looking for us."

Kagome just motioned for Iza to continue.

"Okay." Iza took a deep breath to prepare herself. "You know how our father met our mother, then they had us?" Nod. "Well, the thing you don't know is that our father was still married to Sesshoumaru's mother when they met."

Kagome gasped, "Well that explains some of the hostility between those two."

Iza indicated her agreement, "Yes, it does answer a few questions. However, there were more dire circumstances involved. Leiko, Sesshoumaru's mother, was completely outraged that her husband should be 'dallying' with a human, no matter how high ranking that human was. So she sought out a powerful dark miko to place a curse on the couple." She paused to let this information sink in. Iza knew of Kagome's past regarding curses and dark mikos, so if anyone could understand the horror of the situation, it would be her.

"Please continue." Kagome face had hardened at the slight reminder at Tsubaki and what her curse had almost forced the girl to do.

Iza blinked. 'She must be taking this harder than I thought.' "Are you sure, Kagome-chan? The rest does not get any better."

Kagome shook her head to rid herself of the cobwebs from that memory. She managed a strained smile to show she was all right. 'Yeah, just peachy keen, if something similar happened to Inuyasha's mother.' Returning her attention to Iza, she said firmly, "No, I want to know what happened. Please, Iza-chan?"

Sighing, Iza surrendered. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you." She shifted herself around to find a more comfortable rock seat, which was an oxymoron in its self, before forging onward. "Now, Leiko could have cursed Chichi-ue and Haha-ue in order to exact her revenge, and under those conditions, it would have been expected. However, she directed her malice towards their unborn child. Now, because Haha-ue gave birth to two children rather than just one, the curse became confused. The miko had specified only one child to be cursed, so the curse was forced to make a choice. Unfortunately, it chose Inuyasha, as he was the first of us born." Here, Iza paused to re-dunk her head in the water. The warmth of the hot spring relaxed the inu-hanyou, so she could finish her tale.

Resurfacing, she noticed that Kagome had taken the opportunity to perch on top of a boulder. The night air, while pleasantly warm, also carried a slightly cold breeze. This chill allowed Kagome to focus on just hearing the story, rather than feeling any pity for the hanyou twins. 'I know Inuyasha hates people feeling sorry for him. Iza-chan is probably the same.'

"Anyway, to make a long story short," Iza continued, "Chichi-ue discovered Leiko's curse, and, figuring it was better to not announce the birth of twins and point out the error in the curse, Chichi-ue whisked me away from Haha-ue and Nii-chan. I was raised in a small castle on the outskirts of the Western Lands and educated in the art of counter-curses. Just before Chichi-ue died, I managed to find out about Inuyasha and Haha-ue. I remember throwing a HUGE fit about wanting to meet them, but not much else, save for Chichi-ue explaining some of the reasons behind the separation. Then, a couple of months later, he was dead, fatally wounded from battling Ryukotsusei. Haha-ue followed not three months later, leaving us alone. Inuyasha and I were six-years-old."

Kagome glanced over to Iza. The girl was idly swiping her hand through the water, as though mesmerized by the patterns made by the ripples. She looked utterly depressed and about ready to cry, so Kagome didn't fight the urge to go embrace her. 'Thank goodness we're both wearing towels. This could prove rather awkward otherwise.' Placing her arm around Iza's shoulders and laying her head against the other girl's, Kagome thought over all Iza had told her. 'So much pain and suffering. And the curse isn't even complete yet. Speaking of which.' Kagome lifted her head and turned towards the girl.

"Iza-chan." Iza looked up. "Will you tell me what the curse is supposed to do?"

Despite the flush caused by the heat of the water, Iza managed to pale by three shades. "Please excuse me," she muttered softly before she jerked from under Kagome's arm and quickly proceeded to climb out of the spring to slip into her clothes. Kagome was left, shocked still, in the hot spring. 'What the heck?' Following Iza's example, Kagome clambered out and into her dry clothes, not even worrying about toweling off. Iza was already dressed and leaving the clearing

"Iza-chan, wait up." Kagome ran up behind the hanyou female. "Where are you going? Did I say something wrong?"

Iza stopped, allowing the panting miko to catch her breath. Her back still to Kagome, Iza answered, "Forgive me, Kagome-chan. I-I don't know what came over me." She ran a clawed hand over her face and into still-wet hair, before turning to the miko. "I got scared for a minute, I guess. I've been living with the knowledge of this curse and the responsibility of being the only one who may be able to find a counter-curse for so long,

that sharing that information is like losing a part of myself."

Kagome stood from her bent over position to look Iza in the eyes. 'I never noticed, but we're the same height. What a weird thing to notice right now.' Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, Kagome said, "Iza-chan, you needn't worry about losing any part of yourself. I am here, along with everyone else, to help you and Inuyasha. Besides," she snapped her fingers decisively, "nine heads are better than one or even two." She smiled encouragingly.

Iza was confused (again and for always). "Where do you get nine, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome ticked each off on a finger, "You, me, Inuyasha, Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, Shippou-chan, Kirara, Myouga-jii-chan, and Kaede-baa-chan. See, nine." With that she displayed both hands, careful to keep one of her thumbs down at all times.

Iza backed away from the frighteningly cheerful miko. 'Slowly, slowly. Okay, now, run!'

And she dashed off towards their campsite, leaving a bemused Kagome in her wake.

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	8. Visitor

A/N: And here's the last bit of the re-vamp. I don't think I changed much (or anything for that matter), but I re-uploaded all the others, so why not? Enjoy!

Remember: The only character I own in this fic is Iza and Leiko, Sesshy's mom. Everyone else, I wish.

Reminder: Please review or e-mail me with any questions, comments, etc.

**Chapter Eight: Visitor**

The next day dawned bright and cheerful. Birds sang their appreciation and small fuzzy animals scampered out of their burrows with no fear. The sky was a clear blue with only a few scattered puffy clouds dotted on the horizon. It was a beautiful day, one that made humans and demons alike stop to enjoy the peace and quiet…

"YOU TOLD HER WHAT?"

Spoke too soon. The harsh scream echoed through the forest, startling the birds and freezing the animals. The humans and demons closest to the source of that terrible noise all released heavy sighs of exasperation.

Miroku was the first to speak, "Inuyasha certainly got started early today, didn't he, Kagome-sama?"

The young miko merely nodded and continued rubbing her temples, trying to relieve the migraine that was forming. Sango, Shippou, and Kirara were sitting by the campfire, attempting to make breakfast and keep an ear to the battle that was forming between the two inu-hanyous.

Iza was standing rigid, head down, at the edge of the camp while Inuyasha was pacing angrily back and forth. Not two minutes ago, she had admitted to her brother that she had informed Kagome about the curse and its history. And he had exploded.

"Iza, how could you do that? I specifically asked you not to tell her and as soon as I turn my back-"

"I did NOT betray you!" Iza had finally raised her head. Her brown eyes were flashing with tears and anger. She had definitely not expected this type of reaction to her admission. A little bit of irritation, but not this.

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, back to his sister. Iza could feel the rage rolling off him as a tangible force. Slowly, he turned around. She expected fury and resentment to be his expression, but the deadpan calm was more terrifying. Iza tried to swallow the lump in her throat. It didn't work.

Inuyasha took a deliberate step forward, than another. Soon he was face-to-face with the female hanyou, who was radiating fear and concern. He stared down into her familiar countenance and had to fight back the urge to embrace her, to relieve her fears. 'No, she went against my orders. I can't let her get away with that.' This decided, Inuyasha broke his calm.

"You DID betray me, Iza," he snarled in her face. "When I trusted you not to tell Kagome about the curse and you tell her anyway, yes, I consider it betrayal." He raised his hand abruptly to cut off Iza's stuttering response. "No excuses. As the alpha male of this pack, I expect all pack members to obey my orders. Especially if 'they' is my _younger_ sibling."

Iza forced herself to stand tall in the face of her brother's anger. She had to know. "But why, Inuyasha? Why hide this from Kagome-chan? I know you want to protect her, but surely she'd be better off knowing what to expect later on, wouldn't she?"

A beat of silence, then a low growl began to fill the air. Iza wondered if maybe she'd pushed Inuyasha too far and he was now going to throw her out of the Group. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, barely loud enough for Iza to hear much less anyone else. "Don't ever question my motives concerning Kagome. I have my reasons and that should be enough."

"But-"

"No more!" His arm slashed across the space between them, indicating that he considered the topic closed. He made to turn away when his sister's final whispered words reached his ears.

"But how can you keep someone who loves you so much in the dark about something so important?" Inuyasha's head whipped around, just in time to see Iza running off into the woods, the scent of her tears heavy in the air.

* * *

'I can't believe that baka! How can he just not tell Kagome-chan?'

Iza had run until she met the bank of a small river. She was currently perched on one of the boulders that bridged both water and land. With her right leg pulled up to her chest and her left dangling just above the water's surface, Iza made the perfect picture of a woebegone teenager.

She was downwind of Inuyasha and everyone else, so Iza knew that he could find her if necessary, but she didn't think it would be anytime soon. So she would just wait here until either he cooled down enough to forgive her or Kagome beat him into apologizing. Iza snickered lightly at the thought of Kagome dragging Inuyasha around by the ear in a disciplinary fashion. 'Give him hell for me, Kagome-chan.'

"Hey, inu-kuro, what are you doing away from your little pack?"

A rough voice, not to mention insult, broke through Iza's merry little mental image. 'Huh? Inu-kuro? What an arrogant son of a-'

She was already forming her retort and turning to face her opponent when one of the best-looking demons she'd ever seen sauntered out of the forest.

He was a good 6-7 inches taller than her, with long black hair pulled into a high ponytail, showing off the pointy ears that screamed youkai. His bangs had been pushed out of his brilliant blue eyes with a headband made of- 'Is that fur?'

And it wasn't just the headband that was fur. A cuff of fur covered his right wrist while his left forearm was completely encased. A swath of fur designed to be either a loincloth or something similar was attached at the bottom of samurai-style chest armor, accented by furry shoulder pads/guards. The leggings that came up to just below his knees completed the fur ensemble, while the balls of his feet were wrapped in white cloth.

Iza was impressed, to say the least, and not just by his outfit. Underneath the fur and armor, was a body to kill for. Broad chest and shoulders, well-muscled arms, and the best damn legs any man had the right to have. And this was all _below_ the neck. Above the neck only emphasized her original observation. His even features, even drawn in an expression of confusion upon sighting her, made him the epitome of handsome. His perfection was topped off with a golden tan covering every bit of skin that Iza could see.

"I'm sorry."

And back to reality. Iza shook her head vigorously to bring her brain back to conversation level. "W-what? What are you sorry for?"

The youkai stepped closer towards the river. His countenance was apologetic, his voice embarrassed. "I thought I scented someone I knew. I made an incorrect assumption. Forgive me." He gave a deep bow.

Flustered and flattered by his formality, Iza hurried closer to the demon. "Ah, no, no. Don't bow." He inclined his head so he could look her in the face, slightly bewildered by her reaction. Iza blushed and fidgeted with her fingers. "I mean there's nothing to apologize for. Anyone can make a mistake."

The wolf demon (now that she was closer, Iza could detect the musky scent of wolves clinging to him) rose fully and stared at the girl in front of him. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air again. Curiosity flitted behind his eyes just before he spoke, "Your scent is familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Iza blushed again, more fiercely this time. The wolf began circling her as if trying to determine where he might have met her. He stopped just behind her and Iza could feel his eyes roaming her body. When her ears twitched in slight irritation, he immediately switched his scrutiny to them.

"You're a hanyou."

She glared at him over her shoulder. "Obviously, baka. Do you know any full demons with ears like these?" She flicked said ears to prove her point.

The youkai adopted an offended air. "Of course it's obvious. I was merely thinking out loud." Iza snorted and muttered under her breath, "Very loud."

She was whirled around by strong hands, which clamped on her upper arms when she finally faced her companion. His expression was seething and he was baring his fangs that, until now, had been roguishly indenting his lower lip. Iza figured that most humans and demons would want to quake with fear at this burning fire of rage, but all she wanted to do was see if his hair was as silky as it looked. She had to literally bite her tongue to keep from giggling.

Eventually, when he noticed she wasn't reacting as any sane person would, the wolf demon relaxed his grip and facial muscles. He released her arms and backed up a step. Needless to say, he was confused. Iza just watched as he stared at her. Finally, he broke the silence.

"What's your name, girl?"

Iza opened her mouth to reply, and then snapped it shut. Normally she would introduce herself by her nickname, but for some reason she wanted this youkai to call her by her full name, to take her seriously.

"Well?" He was getting impatient.

She squared her shoulders and met the wolf's penetrating blue gaze with her own strong stare. "Izayoi."

The youkai honored her with a smirk that oddly reminded Iza of her brother. "Well, Izayoi, since you have given me your name, I should retaliate. I am Kouga of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe." He bowed deeply once more. Iza could only gape at the back of his head.

'_This_ is Kouga-kun? Why wouldn't Kagome-chan want… oh, right. Loves Inuyasha the Supreme Idiot.' She managed to hide her shock when Kouga rose from his bow. "It's nice to meet you, Kouga-sama." She matched his bow with one of her own. Kouga's face broke into a genuine smile that lit up his gorgeous blue eyes.

Iza could only gaze into their depths with what must surely be the goofiest look on her face. 'Someone could drown in his eyes,' was her only coherent thought.

A tree crashing to the forest floor not twenty feet from where the two demons stood brought both of their attentions to the woods behind them. Iza was only able to silently utter a short prayer before all hell broke loose.

"KOUGA!"

Kouga grinned in an evil manner and fell into an attack pose, just as Inuyasha burst through the tree line. "Oi, inu-kuro, long time, no see."

Inuyasha stood panting heavily, Tetsusaiga drawn and pointed at the youkai. "You wimpy wolf! Get the HELL away from my sister!"

Blinking stupidly, Kouga dropped his guard and stared at the inu-hanyou. "Your sister?" He glanced over at Iza.

All she could do was whisper a small "Hi there" and wiggle her fingers at him in a pathetic excuse of a wave.

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